How is wine made?

The process of growing grapes is already complex, but then comes the wine making.

Many factors can influence the end result of the wine - it's a craft, after all. But there are a few key things that go into winemaking, which will differ depending on type of wine:

1. All winemaking starts at the vineyard with the grapes harvested at the exact right time for specific varietals called ‘baumé’ level (measurement of  sugar content in grape).
2. Fruit is then sorted and crushed at winery. The key step is fermentation (the process when sugars in grapes are converted to alcohol).
3. Then comes the ageing of wine – what vessel is chosen and how long a wine is left will affect wine style i.e oak barrel v stainless steel etc.
4. Bottling – taken from the ageing vessel and put through a bottling line - the final step.

What makes wine complex – and extremely enjoyable – is the potential to influence the winemaking process in many ways, and this is what gives us all different kinds and styles of wine. The fact is, you can technically make wine by letting a pile of grapes ferment in a bucket or your bathtub. But it probably won’t be wine you want to drink!

Photo by Vince Veras on Unsplash